Written Answers Tuesday 18 August 2009

Scottish Executive

Children with Disabilities

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the needs and rights of children with disabilities are being taken into account in the work of the National Child Protection Guidance Working Group.

Adam Ingram: The review of national child protection guidance aims to meet the needs of all Scotland’s at-risk children, including those with disabilities. The review started its work in February 2009, and one of its two workstreams is taking forward a piece of work around the needs and rights of children with disabilities. The review will receive input on current research on the protection of children with disabilities. In addition, the Scottish Child Care and Protection Network (SCCPN), a national research network, is represented on the review group and helps to ensure that it is fully informed by relevant research.

Enterprise

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding each local authority in the Highlands and Islands area has allocated to Business Gateway since the scheme’s introduction.

Jim Mather: Local authority budget allocation spend is a matter for individual councils, and I would suggest that you contact the relevant Highlands and Islands local authorities to obtain this data.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the (a) support previously provided to businesses under the Highlands and Islands Enterprise business improvement tools programme and (b) current schemes that provide that support.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the total financial value of the (a) support previously provided to businesses under the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) business improvement tools programme during its last two years of operation and (b) equivalent support available to business in the HIE area in the current year under each of the support schemes that provide the support previously provided by the programme.

Jim Mather: Highlands and Islands Enterprise has never run a "business improvement tools" programme as such, but has provided and continues to provide a range of support and advice services, where appropriate, to account managed businesses.

  Details of the services provided are an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its chief executive to write to you in this regard.

School Meals

Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase the number of schools that have an anonymised system of payment for school meals.

Adam Ingram: The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007 places a legislative duty on local authorities to take reasonable steps to protect the identity of all pupils receiving free school lunches. Therefore, decisions on anonymised payment systems, or other forms of protecting identity, are taken by local authorities themselves.

Teachers

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the existing evidence that suggests that the absence of male teachers and role models in schools can have a detrimental effect on the education of a child.

Keith Brown: There is a range of research on this issue of which Scottish ministers are aware. Some highlights the importance of male role models in schools whereas other research suggests that the focus should be on attracting high quality and motivated people into teaching irrespective of their gender.